The use of oxygen for the treatment of various respiratory disorders has been a common medical technique for decades. The major source of this oxygen was originally high pressure cylinders requiring periodic replacement. In the early 1970's the cost and cumbersome nature of high pressure cylinders inspired the development of an electrically operated device known as the oxygen concentrator.
Three basic methods of oxygen production have been employed in these devices, electrolytic decomposition of water, air separation using permeable membranes and pressure swing absorption. Of these, pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is the most commonly used and offers several advantages over the other techniques.
Over the past decade PSA oxygen concentrators have evolved into efficient, technologically sophisticated devices. The present invention was developed particularly to house a particular PSA system utilizing a single adsorption bed.